1. Field of Technology
The present disclosure relates generally to arthroscopic soft tissue repair and, in particular, arthroscopic labral repair in the hip joint.
2. Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, the acetabular labrum 11 is a ring of soft tissue that encircles the acetabulum 10 near the entrance to the acetabular cup or socket 12. In some cases, the labrum 11 is torn off of the acetabulum 10, or acetabular rim 13, and needs to be reattached. Currently, fixation devices, such as suture anchors, are used to reattach the labrum 11 to the acetabulum 10. However, due to complications in visualization of the area of anchor placement, placement of the suture anchor is done blind or without the surgeon being able to see where the anchor is being placed. As shown in FIG. 2, there is a risk that the anchor, or anchor hole 14, may be placed with an incorrect trajectory such that the possibility of it breaking into the articular cartilage 15 of the socket 12 is increased. Not only could this cause damage to the cartilage 15, but it could also lead to damage to the femoral head (not shown), which is housed within the socket 12.
As shown in FIG. 3, in order to avoid damaging the cartilage 15 and femoral head, the anchor hole 14 is placed in a location that is a certain distance X from the acetabular cartilage 15 surface. When the labrum 11 is reattached via use of the anchor 16 and suture 17, the labrum 11 is positioned in a non-anatomic location or off of the rim 13, as shown in FIG. 3. Having the labrum 11 positioned in a non-anatomic location may lead to further problems with the hip joint, specifically the labrum 11 will not be able to perform its primary role of creating a seal against the head of the femur. Therefore, a method and instrument for use therewith that would precisely position the anchor 16 relative to the acetabular cartilage surface 15 is needed.